NerdWallet Shopping’s scoring of the best vacuums for carpeted floors is based on our analysis of the opinions of experts and shoppers like you. Picking a vacuum isn’t easy. We researched some of the most popular models on the market to make your decision less confusing. To narrow down the field, we looked at expert opinions from review sites such as The Sweethome, CNET and Good Housekeeping. Next, we analyzed user reviews to see what shoppers were saying about the various attributes of each vacuum. We recognize that consumers look for different qualities in vacuums, so we scored users’ observations on multiple features of top models, including their performance on carpet and hard surfaces. Our scores range from a low of 1 to a high of 10. Here’s how we devised them: Overall score: The overall score reflects reviewers’ satisfaction with each vacuum in 10 categories, including how well it cleans across various surfaces, ease of use, durability and noise. How well it cleans carpet: This score reflects reviewers’ satisfaction with the vacuum’s performance on carpet.

It also considers their satisfaction with the vacuum’s ability to clean up pet hair and debris. Ease of use: This score reflects reviewers’ satisfaction with the vacuum’s ability to maneuver, including its weight and cord length; the process of emptying or cleaning it out; and whether it was considered easy to operate. These vacuums are our top picks, ranked in order of overall score. The powerful, lightweight Dyson V6 Motorhead stick vacuum is a user favorite. It features a direct-drive cleaner head that reaches deep into carpet, giving users 20 minutes of fade-free suction per 3.5-hour charge, and it easily converts into a hand vac to clean hard-to-reach places. Overall score: 9.93How well it cleans carpet: 10.0Ease of use: 9.0 Read our full Dyson V6 Motorhead review The upright Miele Jazz S7280 was named one of our best vacuums for hardwood flooring, but it’s also an overachiever when it comes to carpeting. Its electrobrush digs deep into carpets and rugs, removing all dirt and debris in its path.

Overall score: 9.71How well it cleans carpet: 9.8Ease of use: 7.7 Read our full Miele Jazz s7280 review The Hoover Linx BH50010 stick vacuum features a powered brush roll that transitions seamlessly from hard floors to carpeting. Its low-profile head maneuvers under furniture with ease. Overall score: 9.65How well it cleans carpet: 9.8Ease of use: 9.2 Read our full Hoover Linx review Named one of NerdWallet’s best canister vacuums, the compact Panasonic MC-CG917 Optiflow earned high scores for its stellar performance on carpets and rugs and the ease with which users were able to empty the machine. Overall score: 9.63How well it cleans carpet: 9.7Ease of use: 8.6 This user favorite came in second in NerdWallet’s roundup of best vacuum cleaners and grabbed a top spot in our roundup of best vacuums for pet hair pick-up. It cleans carpeting, hard flooring, stairs and pet hair better than models that cost hundreds of dollars more. Overall score: 9.61How well it cleans carpet: 9.6Ease of use: 8.8

Read our full Shark Rotator nv752 review The ultralight Hoover Platinum UH30010COM is an upright vacuum with a removable canister that helps with off-the-floor jobs. clean laptop fan sprayIt also has illuminated fingertip controls, two speed settings, a self-sealing HEPA bag, and the ability to extract pet hair from the deepest carpets.best way to clean mini blinds without taking them down Overall score: 9.59How well it cleans carpet: 9.6Ease of use: 9.5best performance upright vacuum cleaner It was designed to clean carpet and upholstery, but users love how the upright Bissell CleanView Onepass 9595a sweeps their stairs clean of dirt and debris. clean leather car seats mold

It also weighs in at a relatively light 15 pounds. Bissell CleanView Onepass 9595a Overall score: 9.59How well it cleans carpet: 9.7Ease of use: 8.2best way to clean sway couches The self-propelled Hoover Anniversary U6485-900 is a bagged upright, featuring an embedded DirtFinder System, an extension wand with a stretchable hose, and a pet-hair tool with rotating brushes.top rated vacuum cleaners with hepa filter Overall score: 9.59How well it cleans carpet: 9.8Ease of use: 7.6 The Oreck Insight is NerdWallet’s top-rated vacuum overall, as well as our top-rated upright vacuum and the best for hardwood flooring. Overall score: 9.58How well it cleans carpet: 9.6Ease of use: 9.6 Read our full Oreck Insight review The Shark NV356’s Turbo Brush attachment earned it a place in our list of best vacuums for picking up animal fur.

And people without pets found this lightweight upright’s powerful suction and lift-away technology an effective way to clean hard floors, carpeting, and stairs. Overall score: 9.56How well it cleans carpet: 9.7Ease of use: 8.7 For more vacuum buying advice, check out: For more vacuum roundups, check out: Compare other popular vacuums here: No vacuum excels at all types of cleaning— your home’s layout and even décor dictate the type you might need. That will become clear as you get ready for a thorough spring cleaning. Do you have lots of carpet or just bare floors? And it will be especially apparent if you have pets that are leaving little reminders of their winter coats everywhere you look.They’re a vacuum’s toughest job and rank highest on many people’s priority lists. Dirt tends to collect and hide in the carpet, and our feet can grind it in. The better bagged uprights, with beefy motors and wide brush rolls, clean the most deeply. But you want them to be maneuverable as well.

In our tests, no bagged vacuum that was superb at deep-cleaning carpets was especially easy to handle, but five of the top bagged-upright models we recommend weigh less than 20 pounds. One of the lower-cost picks in our Ratings worth a look: the $150 Hoover WindTunnel T-Series Pet UH30310. It gets superb marks for pet-hair pickup and has a manual adjustment for carpet height. At 17 pounds, it’s also light enough to maneuver easily. If you have few carpets and lots of tile, bare wood, or vinyl flooring, you can get a bagless upright—say, the $260 Shark Rotator Professional Lift-Away NV501—and enjoy easy handling in a lighter-weight vacuum. Other full-sized vacuums might do almost as well for carpets while excelling at bare floors, a relatively easy task. A heavy vacuum can be a true liability if you have stairs. The better canisters, led by the bagged Miele S 8590 Marin, $1,000, are heavier than most uprights—but you’re mostly moving just the hose and power head, not the entire machine.

In addition to our vacuum cleaner Ratings, our brand-repair history lists the percentage of upright and canister vacuums that failed or had a problem that was unresolved. Sometimes you need just a light cleaning before guests show up. For that, see our recommended handheld and stick vacuums. None of them can handle carpet deep cleaning, but they do a decent job. Which vacuum for which task On average, these are the lowest-cost way to deep-clean carpets. Bagged models in particular can deep-clean carpets and rugs, and all offer a wide cleaning swath. Pulling, pushing, and carrying them can be hard, especially on stairs. For maximum airflow with both full-sized types, replace the bag or empty the bin before it’s completely filled. They’re superior for cleaning curtains, upholstery, and spots beneath furniture. Canisters are also easier on stairs because you move just the hose and powerhead. The top canisters are pricier than comparable uprights. When retracting the cord, routinely letting it snap can weaken the plug.

Slow down the motion during the last few feet. Quickly picking up dry surface litter anytime you don’t want to or cannot bend. Most don’t pick up as well as hand vacuums, their dirt bin is usually small, and most are noisy. Frequently clean or replace filters, and clean out dirt cup to prevent bacterial growth when using both hand and stick vacs. Light, quick surface cleaning on carpets and bare floors, especially in tight spots that you can’t reach with a stick vac. Some can handle pet hair on upholstery. Like stick vacuums, they don’t have much power compared with a full-sized vacuum. With cordless hand and stick vacs, charge the battery according to the owner’s manual for maximum product life. Top-rated: Kenmore Elite 31150, $350 CR Best Buy: Kenmore 31140, $200 Top-rated: Miele S 8590 Marin, $1,000 CR Best Buy: Panasonic MC-CG937, $330 Top-rated: Dyson DC59 Animal, $500 Top-rated: Shark Pet Perfect II SV780, $60